clamping down hard. “Like
that!
Swift and sharp, Maynard feels an unbelievable pain below his elbow.”
Riley jumped back. He glanced around, but everybody else had their eyes fixed on Barry, not even blinking.
Barry continued. “He takes another stroke, but there’s nothing there to propel him through the water. Half his arm is gone!
“A second bite rips deep into his thigh and pulls him under the surface. He’s thrashing with his good arm and leg and comes up gasping for air, the water turning red with his blood. Then the fatal blow—this massive gray head surges through the water, clamping its beak in the center of Maynard’s throat and snapping right through the neck. Maynard’s final thoughts are only of the pain as he sinks beneath the surface for the last time.”
Barry nodded solemnly and cleared his throat. “Big Joe’s first victim … It wasn’t pretty.
“But that’s not the end of the story. Not by a long shot. You’ll never hear the counselors mention this—they don’twant to scare anybody—but you can still hear Maynard running frantically through these woods some August nights. You’ll hear the splash and swear somebody’s swimming for his life across Lake Surprise around midnight, and if you listen carefully, you’ll hear the crunching of his bones and his painful screams as Maynard turns into snapping-turtle prey.
“Don’t get in his way when he’s running—he’ll knock you down and trample you. Might even drag you into the lake with him.”
Barry took a deep breath and let it go. “Yeah, I heard him with my own ears last summer. A night just like this one—really quiet, really dark.”
Barry shook his head and winced. He took a piece of paper towel from his pocket and tore it into a small square. He picked up a small handful of dried-out pine needles from the ground and rolled them tightly into the paper, then held the end of his homemade cigarette against the flame. He took a deep drag and held the smoke in his mouth, then handed the butt to Patrick.
The butt went around the circle. When it reached Riley, it was only about an inch long. He put it to his lips and inhaled, then started to sputter and cough. Riley quickly handed it back to Barry and rubbed his hot fingers together. They smelled like smoky pine, and his eyes were watering. Barry laughed.
Nobody said much after that; they just stared at the fire. A couple of times Riley glanced nervously toward the woods. The fire got low, and a few mosquitoes buzzed around.
Riley felt an uncomfortable gurgling in his stomach. He burped up a sour chicken taste and looked toward the latrine. He still had his toothbrush and toothpaste in his pocket.
“Must be after eleven,” Kirby finally said. “What happened to ‘lights-out’?”
“The third basketball game must have gone into overtime,” Patrick replied.
“Maybe they just forgot,” Barry said. “Maybe Maynard got ’em all.”
Riley laughed. He was tired, and the qualifying for the big swim was tomorrow. But then he burped again and had to swallow some bile. Suddenly he had a bigger concern than sleep to deal with. He needed to get to the bathroom in a hurry.
That chicken hadn’t been so fresh after all.
CAMP OLYMPIA BULLETIN
Thursday, August 5
SIXERS SCORE MAJOR HOOPS UPSET
Basketball Loss Is First for Fortunes
The previously winless Sixers took to the hard court Wednesday evening against the previously undefeated Cabin 4 Fortunes. Guess what? Lionel Robertson came alive for 17 points as the Sixers walked away with a 33–26 shocker.
“We’re ready to roll now,” Robertson said after the game. “We’re not conceding that Big Joe Trophy to anybody.”
In other action, the Cabin 5 Fighters remained unbeaten with a 39–27 win over the Cabin 2 Tubers. The Cabin 3 Threshers edged Cabin 1, 31–29.
Big Swim Qualifying Is This Afternoon
Twenty swimmers will earn their way into the camp-ending Lake Surprise Showdown this afternoon. The Showdown, a
that!
Swift and sharp, Maynard feels an unbelievable pain below his elbow.”
Riley jumped back. He glanced around, but everybody else had their eyes fixed on Barry, not even blinking.
Barry continued. “He takes another stroke, but there’s nothing there to propel him through the water. Half his arm is gone!
“A second bite rips deep into his thigh and pulls him under the surface. He’s thrashing with his good arm and leg and comes up gasping for air, the water turning red with his blood. Then the fatal blow—this massive gray head surges through the water, clamping its beak in the center of Maynard’s throat and snapping right through the neck. Maynard’s final thoughts are only of the pain as he sinks beneath the surface for the last time.”
Barry nodded solemnly and cleared his throat. “Big Joe’s first victim … It wasn’t pretty.
“But that’s not the end of the story. Not by a long shot. You’ll never hear the counselors mention this—they don’twant to scare anybody—but you can still hear Maynard running frantically through these woods some August nights. You’ll hear the splash and swear somebody’s swimming for his life across Lake Surprise around midnight, and if you listen carefully, you’ll hear the crunching of his bones and his painful screams as Maynard turns into snapping-turtle prey.
“Don’t get in his way when he’s running—he’ll knock you down and trample you. Might even drag you into the lake with him.”
Barry took a deep breath and let it go. “Yeah, I heard him with my own ears last summer. A night just like this one—really quiet, really dark.”
Barry shook his head and winced. He took a piece of paper towel from his pocket and tore it into a small square. He picked up a small handful of dried-out pine needles from the ground and rolled them tightly into the paper, then held the end of his homemade cigarette against the flame. He took a deep drag and held the smoke in his mouth, then handed the butt to Patrick.
The butt went around the circle. When it reached Riley, it was only about an inch long. He put it to his lips and inhaled, then started to sputter and cough. Riley quickly handed it back to Barry and rubbed his hot fingers together. They smelled like smoky pine, and his eyes were watering. Barry laughed.
Nobody said much after that; they just stared at the fire. A couple of times Riley glanced nervously toward the woods. The fire got low, and a few mosquitoes buzzed around.
Riley felt an uncomfortable gurgling in his stomach. He burped up a sour chicken taste and looked toward the latrine. He still had his toothbrush and toothpaste in his pocket.
“Must be after eleven,” Kirby finally said. “What happened to ‘lights-out’?”
“The third basketball game must have gone into overtime,” Patrick replied.
“Maybe they just forgot,” Barry said. “Maybe Maynard got ’em all.”
Riley laughed. He was tired, and the qualifying for the big swim was tomorrow. But then he burped again and had to swallow some bile. Suddenly he had a bigger concern than sleep to deal with. He needed to get to the bathroom in a hurry.
That chicken hadn’t been so fresh after all.
CAMP OLYMPIA BULLETIN
Thursday, August 5
SIXERS SCORE MAJOR HOOPS UPSET
Basketball Loss Is First for Fortunes
The previously winless Sixers took to the hard court Wednesday evening against the previously undefeated Cabin 4 Fortunes. Guess what? Lionel Robertson came alive for 17 points as the Sixers walked away with a 33–26 shocker.
“We’re ready to roll now,” Robertson said after the game. “We’re not conceding that Big Joe Trophy to anybody.”
In other action, the Cabin 5 Fighters remained unbeaten with a 39–27 win over the Cabin 2 Tubers. The Cabin 3 Threshers edged Cabin 1, 31–29.
Big Swim Qualifying Is This Afternoon
Twenty swimmers will earn their way into the camp-ending Lake Surprise Showdown this afternoon. The Showdown, a
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